Advanced Biology Class Observation
I had the opportunity to sit in Mr. Bocain's Advanced Biology course this past Friday. I was expecting a typical biology classroom and a lecture. I soon realized how wrong I was to assume that. I was beyond impressed by how well that classroom worked throughout the period. The biggest surprise was that students wanted to be in that classroom!
The students are broken up into groups and they are given two mice at the beginning of the year. The students must monitor the genetic traits and knowledge of the mice through each generation. They change their diet and evaluate the mice through a series of tests. Students take daily measurements and weights to look at the change. This assignment may seem really cool but if you ask me, the coolest part of this assignment was seeing how much the students enjoy it.
As soon as the bell rang and the students began to arrive in class, they immediately went to work. Mr. Bocain did not have to give any instructions, the students knew their expectations. That is what surprised me the most. The students worked the entire period and did not stop until the class was over. This created a student-led learning environment.
As I observed, I realized that Mr. Bocain would go to each group and check-in, see what the students were working on and to see what their goals were for the class period. This gave control of the entire class but also allowed Mr. Bocain to keep a tab on the class and continue to guide them in the right direction.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience sitting in Mr. Bocain's classroom and allowing the kids to have total control of their learning. This made me think, "How can I make my future classes like this?" and oddly enough, I think that is what Ag Ed does on a daily basis. Especially on project-based learning. Students will take a lot out of our classrooms if they are willing to be there and have that drive.
Brandon, I had a similar experience! This past week, I observed Mr. Meals's Anatomy and Physiology class. His students also entered the classroom ready to learn and participate. One thing that I really admired was the teacher was not giving out information, but rather facilitating learning. Did you find that Mr. Bocain stood back and waited for students to come to him with questions? I love the idea of giving the student's a responsibility of keeping their animals alive and healthy. This is super interesting! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThis was a great experience! Mr. Bocain steps back and observes from a far. He waits for the kids to come and ask him questions. He also did move around the classroom and check in on the groups.
DeleteI am curious to how many years of experience that Mr. Bocain has?
ReplyDeleteAlso, keep in mind the difference between teaching an elective based course that students choose to attend and a mandated course.
Are there any specific standard operating procedures you saw that you are interested in replicating?
Mr. Bocain has been teaching for almost 30 years! I think there are opportunities to replicating this teaching style in the shop when students are working on their projects!
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